TCU women’s basketball hosts Washington with a Sweet 16 berth on the line as Olivia Miles, Marta Suarez and the Horned Frogs defend home court.
FORT WORTH - TCU women’s basketball is back in the spotlight, and Sunday night’s showdown with Washington carries real weight.
A trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line, and the Horned Frogs have every reason to believe they can protect home court again.
TCU enters the NCAA Tournament second round at 30-5, riding a 43-game home winning streak and looking every bit like one of the toughest outs in the bracket. That confidence starts with Olivia Miles.
Miles has been at the front of TCU’s rise all season, averaging 19.4 points while stuffing the stat sheet in just about every category.
She’s already piled up 680 points and 230 assists, and her opening-round performance against UC San Diego was absurd even by her standards with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 assists. When a point guard controls a game that completely, everything opens up for everyone else.
And that’s where TCU gets scary. Marta Suarez is averaging 17.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and has become one of the most reliable scoring forwards in the country.
Taylor Bigby is coming off a career night after dropping 27 points and drilling seven 3-pointers in the first round.
Donovyn Hunter adds 10.8 points per game and brings major NCAA Tournament experience, while Clara Silva gives TCU interior size, rebounding, and shot-blocking.
The numbers behind this team are just as nasty.
TCU is holding opponents to 33.4 percent shooting, one of the best marks in the country, and the Frogs rank among the nation’s top teams in blocks, 3-point volume, and scoring margin.
Washington is good enough to make this uncomfortable, but Schollmaier Arena has been a problem for everybody. TCU is 11-0 in postseason games there and has turned the home court into a weapon.
If the Horned Frogs defend the way they usually do and Miles keeps dictating tempo, TCU has a real shot to punch its second straight ticket to the Sweet 16.
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